10 Market Makers & Shakers

Robert MercerHow did Steve Bannon gain so much power? Robert Mercer, his long-time benefactor, bankrolled Breitbart News and has been huge supporter of conservative causes. Mercer is co-CEO of $50 billion plus hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and majority owner of Breitbart though he announced recently plans to leave Renaissance and to transfer his stake in Breitbart to his daughter.

Kim Jong-unGeopolitical tensions are rising around the globe after a year of very low volatility. While Spain and Venezuela continue to exhibit social chaos, there is no single greater threat than the nuclear program developed by North Korea over the last two decades. Kim is playing a game theory box from the dominated position. But he’s using his nuclear threats as a way to effectively blackmail the rest of the world and strike fear into political opponents.

Ed TillyCboe Global Markets’ (CBOE) Chairman and CEO Ed Tilly has been busy in 2017. He has overseen the successful integration of Bats following its acquisition by Cboe and a pretty significant shake-up of senior staff following the merger. Cboe was also the first major exchange to announce plans to launch futures on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies with a targeted Q4 launch. Oh, and by the way Cboe stock is up more than 50% on the year.